Meatless Monday recipe of the week: Cauliflower and Spinach Curry

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Making curry, even on a Monday, really isn’t that big of a deal, so don’t let this long list of ingredients scare you off. Most of them are things you can either find in your spice rack, or buy very cheaply from the bulk bins at your favorite grocery store.

And, once you have the ingredients on hand, you can whip up some curry faster than it would take to order it and then pick it up from a restaurant.

Cauliflower and Spinach Curry

1 medium yellow onion (peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces)

1/2 jalapeño pepper (seeds and ribs discarded, or to taste)

2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup coconut milk

4 cups cauliflower florets

1 cup peeled and diced tomatoes (with juices)

4 cups, packed, baby spinach

Dash salt

Place the onion, ginger, and jalapeño in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the garam masala, curry powder, cardamom and cumin, and process until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Transfer the spice paste to a large saucepan and add the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the paste starts to color, about 10 minutes — you'll want to continually scrape the bottom of the pot, as the mixture likes to stick.

Stir in the tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring and scraping very frequently, until the paste is brown and aromatic, about 5 more minutes. Add the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the coconut milk, cauliflower and tomatoes. Simmer over medium-low heat, covered, until the cauliflower is crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the spinach and cook, uncovered, until it wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot. Serves 4.